Class III (-je-): the krýt and kupovat patterns

Class III is the -je- conjugation: its defining feature is a present-tense stem ending in -j-, which surfaces in endings like -ju, -ješ, -je. It splits into two models that look quite different in the infinitive but conjugate identically in the present. The first is the krýt-type, a closed set of mostly monosyllabic verbs (krýt, mýt, pít, žít). The second is the kupovat-type — the -ovat verbs — and it is the single most productive verb pattern in the language: practically every borrowed and newly coined Czech verb joins it (telefonovat, studovat, surfovat, googlovat).

This page gives the full present, past, and imperative paradigms for both models, and explains the spoken-vs-written ending doublets (kryju / kryji) that make this class look more complicated than it is. For how this class fits among the five conjugation classes, see Paradigm classes overview.

The krýt-type: monosyllabic -ýt / -ít / -out verbs

The model verb is krýt (to cover). The present stem is kry-, to which the -j- plus personal endings attach. Note the two competing endings in the 1st person singular and 3rd person plural — the -ju/-jou forms are everyday spoken Czech, the -ji/-jí forms are the literary written standard. Both are correct; they differ only in register.

The imperative is kryj (sg.), kryjte (pl.), kryjme ("let's"). The past tense uses the l-participle built on the long vowel of the infinitive stem: kryl, kryla, krylo in the singular and kryli / kryly / kryla in the plural.

Here is krýt in real sentences. Notice the spoken -ju ending, which is what you will actually hear:

Other krýt-type verbs

The same endings apply to a handful of very common monosyllabic verbs. The infinitive ends in a long vowel (-ýt, -ít, -out), and the present stem swaps that vowel for the -j-:

Note that pít and žít shorten the stem vowel in the present (pije, žije, not píje) but restore the long vowel in the past (pil / pila; žil / žila). For pít in full, with its perfective partner, see pít; for mýt se, see the reflexive mýt se / umýt se.

The kupovat-type: the -ovat pattern

This is the workhorse of the class. The model verb is kupovat (to buy, imperfective). Its trick is an alternation: the infinitive shows -ova-, but the present stem replaces it with -uje-. So kupovat → kupuje, studovat → studuje, pracovat → pracuje. Once you see that swap, every -ovat verb conjugates the same way.

The imperative is kupuj, kupujte, kupujme. The past tense, crucially, is built on the -ova- infinitive stem, not the present -uje- stem: kupoval, kupovala, kupovalo; plural kupovali / kupovaly / kupovala.

Real examples with kupovat and its relatives:

Why -ovat matters: the productive class

When Czech absorbs a foreign verb or invents a new one, it almost always pours it into the -ovat mold. That is why the modern vocabulary is full of -ovat verbs that look nothing like native ones:

Because the pattern is so regular, learning kupovat essentially gives you the conjugation of thousands of verbs for free. The aspectual partner of kupovat is the perfective koupit (Class IV); the -ovat member is usually the imperfective. See kupovat / koupit for that pairing.

The spoken vs. written doublets

The only genuinely confusing thing about Class III is the -ju/-ji and -jou/-jí split. Here is the rule plainly:

• -ju, -jou (and -uju, -ujou) — everyday spoken Czech, normal in conversation, texting, and informal writing.
• -ji, -jí (and -uji, -ují) — the literary written standard, used in formal documents, journalism, and careful prose.

So kryju and kryji are the same word in different registers, as are kupuju and kupuji, kryjou and kryjí, kupujou and kupují. A Czech will say kupuju out loud and write kupuji in a job application. Neither is "more correct" in absolute terms — they belong to different situations.

The first sentence is casual speech; the second uses the literary -ši (from psát, a related -e-/-je- type) you would find in a formal letter. For the full picture of these endings across the present tense, see Colloquial present-tense endings.

Common mistakes

A frequent error is treating the -ji/-jí literary endings as the only correct forms and avoiding -ju/-jou in speech, which makes you sound stilted and bookish. In conversation, kupuju and kryjou are the normal, neutral choices.

Building the past on the present stem — kupuval instead of kupoval — is the classic -ovat slip. Present and imperative use -uje-; past and infinitive use -ova-.

The neuter-plural -a (okna kryla, auta parkovala) is genuinely easy to forget, because masculine-inanimate and feminine plurals take -y. Neuter plural stands alone with -a.

Carrying the long infinitive vowel into the present — žíju instead of žiju, píju instead of piju — is a spelling mistake driven by the infinitive žít / pít. The present stem is short.

Key takeaways

• Class III is the -je- conjugation: present endings -ju/-ji, -ješ, -je, -jeme, -jete, -jou/-jí.
• The krýt-type covers monosyllabic -ýt/-ít/-out verbs (krýt, mýt, pít, žít, bít, obout); past on the long stem (kryl, myl, pil, žil).
• The kupovat-type (-ovat) is the productive pattern for borrowings and new verbs; present uses -uje- (kupuje), but past and infinitive use -ova- (kupoval, kupovat).
• -ju/-jou and -uju/-ujou are spoken; -ji/-jí and -uji/-ují are literary — same words, different register.
• The neuter-plural past is -a (kryla, kupovala), a distinct cell from the -y of masculine-inanimate and feminine plurals.